


It Takes Time to Heal

by a_poetic_galaxy



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hinted soulmate au (like if you squint really really hard), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Beta Read, Swearing, mild NSFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:13:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_poetic_galaxy/pseuds/a_poetic_galaxy
Summary: After barely remaining in touch for a year, Emil has had enough of not having closure and he invites Leon to spend a week with him at a small cottage during the summer.
Relationships: Hong Kong & Iceland (Hetalia), Hong Kong/Iceland (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	It Takes Time to Heal

**Author's Note:**

> So, I feel really awkward about posting this but I still love this ship even if I’m not that big into the fandom anymore but I hope you guys enjoy it.

_Lips meet, fitting together perfectly, hands roaming all over each other’s bodies._

_Shirts get thrown off, landing somewhere in the room that they share, touches growing in urgency._

_Chest to chest, hands tangled in dark hair, still it’s not enough._

More, _it’s all his mind seems to be able to think, hips rocking against the other’s._

_They both smell of sea water, reminiscent of where they’d been only 15 minutes previous._

——————

Emil’s panting, one arm slung across his forehead, collapsed on the bed next to his... _What_ were _he and Leon now?_

He isn’t going to ask, not now at least. He can’t really think straight, ~~not that he’s ever been able to~~ , he’s too blissed out and he’s certain that Leon’s the same.

Maybe the beach holiday hadn’t been the best idea... he’d meant for them to be able to talk privately about things, spend time together after not talking for a year, sort out the information they’d both found out on Emil’s 18th birthday which seemed so long ago. 

However it had seemed like the Icelander had forgotten how weak he was for the man laying next to him.

——————

_Leon shivers, leaning a little more against Emil, the two of them sitting on the shore. “It’s cold...” he murmurs, lips brushing the skin of the blonde’s neck teasingly. “Warm me up~?”_

_‘Jesus,_ fuck...’ _Emil thinks, already feeling a slight twinge of arousal, but he pushes it away. ‘Focus, you two need to talk...’ “I’m sure I can... but we need to talk.”_

_Leon opens his mouth to say something but he gets interrupted by a low rumble of thunder._

_The rain starts slowly and the duo stands up near instantly, hoping to get back into the small cottage before it really hits._

——————

Back inside, Emil gets rid of the now-soaked shirts he and Leon had been wearing while the brunette takes place on the couch, fuzzy blanket wrapped around his shoulders and wearing one of Emil’s sweaters.

Leon tries kissing him when Emil comes back into the room, and the hurt expression on his face after the blonde pushes him away gently almost breaks his resolve. But he can’t go on not knowing..

Is this trip just going to be like that one night back in high school? The night where they’d first felt the same electric charge of attraction thrumming between them.. 

He didn’t want just a week with Leon, he wanted a life time. _This_ lifetime. 

It isn’t until he feels arms wrap around him that he realizes he’s started crying, hot tears rolling down his cheeks as he bites his lower lip to choke back sobs.

“Shh... Em, it’ll be okay...” Leon says softly, reassuring as he strokes the other’s back.

He pulls away from the embrace, as much as it hurts to do so. “No it won’t!” He says, voice heavy with emotion.

All the brunette can do is stare, not used to seeing the Icelander so fraught, especially not over _him._

“What is this to you?! Is this just that one night in high school all over again?!” 

Leon’s sufficiently floored by this accusation, his mind refusing to supply him with anything to say, resulting in him looking like a fish out of water.

“I don’t want just a week with you, Leon!” Emil exclaims, violet eyes sparking with emotion. “It’s like you don’t even _realize_ how I’ve felt for you since _ninth grade_.” 

“God, do you get a kick out of playing with my emotions or something?! What does it bring you? _Joy_? Because that’s really fucked up.” 

“I’m in love with you and it hurts because you don’t seem to care!”

Emil’s voice breaks and he slides down the wall to sit on the floor, knees brought up to his chest. _Shit_. He’s crying again..

“I just...” he takes a deep breath, “I don’t want a week with you, Leon.” He states again, tone definite. “I want a lifetime, preferably this lifetime.”

Once again, Leon can simply stare. Emil wants a lifetime with _him_? That’s a lot to process, but he wants to say something. Instead, he sinks to the ground beside the blonde, bringing him close and holding him. 

“Emil...” Leon says softly, concerned. He takes a moment to sort out his thoughts and calm his mind.

Emil tries to break away but Leon won’t let him. Both of them know that they need to sort this out, and that this is the best opportunity to do it.

“ _What_?” Emil snaps, it’s easy to tell that he’s upset and angry. “What makes you think I want to listen to what you have to say?”

“Look, I get that you’re upset but you have to admit that you weren’t the best person back in high school either, Emil!” Leon shoots back, almost accusatory. 

Emil shifts, positioning himself so that he’s facing the young man that he’s in love with, “Okay, so maybe I wasn’t... but neither were you..”

Leon huffs, annoyed, unsure what to say because the words are partially true. Both of them were at fault.

“You _asked_ me to ‘forget and pretend this never happened’.” Emil quotes, arms crossed, having managed to break out of the embrace while Leon was distracted.

He moves away slightly, putting distance between them and to Leon, that space feels like an ocean. To him, Emil feels so far away right then.

“I’ve wanted to redo that night so many times, I wanted you _so_ much but you never seemed to notice back then. Only took me at parties, if I _happened_ to be there. I thought you were ashamed to have had that one night with me because _you_ were the most popular guy in school and _I_ was the weird-looking nerd with the strange accent. And I was _furious_ , furious that you wanted me to forget everything. You’re like a drug, one kiss and I was hooked, craving more _all the damn time_. I-“ 

Emil feels soft lips pressing against his own, urgency expressed as things soon get heated again. The tiny voice in Emil’s head gets drowned out by his own desires as he lets Leon push him back onto the floor.

Flashes of that night so long ago appear in the blonde’s head, this almost feels the same but with reversed positions and a significant lack of alcohol. There’s no loud music, no sounds from a house full of teenagers that are all a little drunk, it’s just the two of them. 

——————

They manage to make it to the bedroom before things can get increasingly heated and Emil finds himself pinned to the bed. 

Displays of this sort of dominance from Leon aren’t often, Emil’s used to being the one pinning, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Not when Leon grinds their hips together.

——————

Emil wakes up later, eyes snapping wide open. Nothing is missing; Leon’s fast asleep next to him, although the man is facing the opposite wall. The sight just makes him feel more alone, more unwanted, more like some mistake.

Stretching his arms above his head, he glances at the clock; its bold, red numbers telling him that the current time is about 1:20am. 

He yawns, grabbing his swim trunks and towel from the rack in the room. He doesn’t bother writing a note before he heads out the door, the light of the full moon and the stars illuminating the path down to the shore.

Setting his towel down on the small bench that’s about 7 feet away from the water, breathing in the sea air as he tries to get rid of this gnawing feeling in his stomach, Emil wades into the water far enough before diving under, swimming out further and then resurfacing.

He floats around, thinking to himself as he stares up at the endless night sky above. It’s so vast and infinite, it makes him feel small. He’s just a speck in a universe that’s so much larger than anyone can really comprehend. 

He’s always loved looking at the stars but tonight he feels hollow, melancholic, _pining_ , and the stars just increase those emotions. He knows what’s making him feel like this. Leon. It’s always been Leon. 

Emil lets out another sigh before he takes in a breath, diving under the water again as if trying to wash off all the lingering memories of the brunette. It doesn’t work though, and it’s even worse when he sees Leon sitting on the shore after he resurfaces.

Yet, despite the fact that Leon is the last person Emil wants to see right now, he finds himself heading towards the sand, wrapping himself up in his towel and then sitting on the bench. 

The next moment, Leon’s standing in front of him. “Let’s go inside, you’ll catch your death out here..” 

Emil looks at him, one eyebrow raised as he stands, then dries himself off as much as he can. He doesn’t want to talk, he’d rather just get through the last few days and then put all of this behind them. Nevertheless, he follows the brunette back to the small cottage-like house. 

——————

Emil steps back into the living room, having changed into shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt. 

Leon’s on the couch, holding a cup of tea in his hands, waiting patiently for the blonde to join him. 

He takes the seat next to Leon, letting their shoulders brush together once before he scoots away a little though Leon just sets his cup down and closes the distance again.

“I’m sorry.” 

It’s so quiet that Emil almost doesn’t hear it, eyes widening a little in shock. 

“I’m sorry too...” he sighs, putting an arm around Leon’s shoulders and bringing the other closer. 

Leon rests his head on Emil’s shoulder, breathing in the taller man’s scent which is faint due to the sea water, but he doesn’t mind and neither does Emil mind the closeness, or the scent of spice and chocolate that Leon always seems to have.

They end up talking for hours, going over everything that had happened between them in the past, eventually they end up making breakfast, sharing some flirtatious glances and banter across the table as they eat.

——————

_The dishes have all been done, and Leon’s hands are all over him._

_Emil shivers a little under the touch, biting back a moan. He picks Leon up, the brunette’s legs going around his waist as they go to the bedroom, lips locked in a heated kiss._

_What follows is a night of slow, heated, passionate love-making. The two of them whispering promises to each other, promises of a future - a life - together. They fall asleep that night tangled up in each other’s arms, satisfied and comfortable._

——————

Light streams in through the windows, bathing the room in a soft light and casting shadows in the corners. 

Emil blinks his eyes open, aware of the hands that are playing with his hair, yet he’s still surprised to find Leon laying next to him.

“Hey, sleeping beauty.” Leon says with a soft smile, one of his hands gently caressing Emil’s cheek. 

“What’re you...?” Emil trails off, a little unsure if he’s still dreaming right now.

He studies Leon’s face, searching for any sign that this is a joke albeit an incredibly cruel one, but he can’t find anything. 

“What..?”

Leon breathes out a sigh, adjusting his position somewhat so it’s easier for the two of them to look at each other.

Emil waits patiently, he’d said everything he had wanted to yesterday, so it was Leon’s turn now.

“Look,” Leon starts, taking one of Emil’s hands in his, stroking his thumb across the back of it. “I know I was stupid, I shouldn’t have told you to forget... that was possibly the worst decision I ever made.”

“And...”

“ _And_...?” Emil presses, though he’s just wanting to hear what Leon says next.

“And I want to spend this lifetime with you,” the brunette continues, locking eyes with Emil. “I want to be by your side, wake up next to you every morning after falling asleep with you the previous night.”

“And..?” 

Leon rolls his eyes, though he’s smiling a little, “I don’t want to forget ever again. So... be my boyfriend?”

Emil doesn’t say anything in response though there’s a small smile on his face as he pulls Leon in for another kiss. 

——————  
_**End**_  
——————

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is always welcome!


End file.
